Andre Ethier

Ethier made the transition from overpaid to a walking punchline in 2014, delivering career lows in each part of his slash line while becoming the most expensive reserve outfielder in MLB history. At h...

Ethier managed to stay healthy for most of the year, playing in 142 games and batting .272/.360/.423. While solid, those numbers are disappointing from a guy making $17 million a year and with a 31-106 season already under his belt. That year (2009) may wind up as his career season unless Ethier suddenly figures out left-handed pitching (.220, .222, and .221 against them the past three years). He may very well be in a platoon situation in 2014, perhaps even with another organization given the Dodgers' outfield logjam.

2013

Ethier's 149 games played represented his highest total since 2009's 160. He finished with a .284/.351/.460 line that included 20 home runs and 89 RBI. A couple areas to watch include his walk rate, which dipped to 8.1 percent last year versus a 9.5 percent career rate and he continues to struggle against left-handers, batting just .218/.270/.324 against them. Ethier turns 31 in April, and as long as he can stay healthy, he should be good for similar numbers in 2013.

2012

2011 was the second consecutive season in which injuries limited Ethier to fewer than 140 games. The difference in 2011 over the prior year however, was a huge drop in his power output. Ethier batted .292/.368/.421, but his home-run output dropped from 23 to 11 in just 30 fewer at-bats. There's no easy explanation for the drop in power, as the finger injury he suffered in 2010 should not have been an issue. Ethier will return to the Dodgers in his final year before free agency. You can probably expect him to be more of the 2010 Ethier than last year's disappointing version.

2011

Ethier was putting up another MVP-type performance, batting .392/.457/.744 on May 14, when an unfortunate broken finger sidelined him for two weeks. He wasn't the same hitter the rest of the way, batting .263/.341/.418 post-injury. Hand injuries tend to linger, but an offseason of rest and rehabilitation should put Ethier right back on track as one of the NL's better hitters in 2011.

2010

Largely due to a major league best six walk-off hits (four home runs), Ethier placed sixth in the NL MVP race last season, batting .272/.361/.508 with 31 home runs and 106 RBI. Ethier notched career-highs in all categories, including runs scored with 92 and he even chipped in six stolen bases. The average would have looked a lot better if not for a late-season swoon in which Ethier hit just .202 after Aug. 26. Count on that not being a trend and figure Ethier's average rebounds to the .280s with similar power numbers in 2010.

2009

After winning the starting left field job on Opening Day, Ethier struggled to assert his everyday status versus highly-paid veterans Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones, though injuries eventually opened the door for the man who led the club with 20 homers. Ethier hit .305/.375/.510 in 525 at-bats on the year and finished with a sizzling .462 in September. The Dodgers' outfield is likely to be crowded again in 2009, but expect similar, if not increased, playing time for this rising star.

2008

Ethier hit .284/.350/.452 in 447 at-bats while splitting the corner outfield at-bats with Matt Kemp and Luis Gonzalez. With just 13 homers and no stolen bases, Ethier isn't a huge fantasy asset and considering his OPS was 115 points lower against left-handed pitching than righties, he's also susceptible to a platoon situation. With the signing of Andruw Jones, he'll likely be fighting for at-bats yet again in 2008.

2007

Ethier made general manager Ned Colletti and his staff look smart after they acquired him in the Milton Bradley trade before the 2006 season. After being recalled from Triple-A in May, Ethier hit .352/.403/.545 prior to the All-Star break, but struggled thereafter, particularly in September (7-for-49) when he eventually lost his job to Marlon Anderson. Ethier admitted to being "mentally-drained" from the long season, but the offseason should do him some good. Expect him to be the team's full-time left-fielder and his line of .351/.378/.468 against southpaws should keep him immune from platoon situations.

2006

Ethier enters the 2006 season as one of the most talked about outfield prospects in baseball, having hit well at Double-A Midland (.319/.385/.497) and then hammering the ball in Arizona over the winter (.366/.495/.598 in 82 AB including 21 BB and just 10 K). His track record prior to 2005 was spotty at best, and there still isn't a great deal of power in his game (18 HR in a full-season at Double-A in a good hitters' park), so there's some caveat emptor in play here. He can't steal a base to save his life, so his value will come from power numbers and little else.

2005

Coming out of Arizona State, Ethier needs to progress up the ladder quickly. His season at Single-A Modesto was decent, but there's not a lot of power here and he stole just two bases in seven attempts, so it's hard to see him projecting as an eventual full-time major leaguer.

2004

Third-round pick out of pick out of Arizona State, Ethier still needs develop into a more powerful hitter.